A sheet conveyer, having a sheet supporting plate, a feed roller, a lifting device to move the sheet supporting plate between a separated position and a contacting position, a motor, a sheet guide disposed on the sheet supporting plate to extend orthogonally to an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the feed roller to be movable in the axial direction on the sheet supporting plate, and a contact member disposed in an upper position with respect to the sheet guide, is provided. The sheet guide includes a retractable member movable between a first position, in which the retractable member is located when the sheet supporting plate is in the separated position, and a second position, in which the retractable member is placed by a reaction force from the contact member produced by contact between the sheet supporting plate and the feed roller.

A sheet tray, including a tray body having a bottom plate, and a sheet guide, is provided. The sheet guide includes a guide plate to align sheets at a predetermined position, a lever, a swingable device having a boss and a guide groove, and a stopper pivotably connected with a hinge. The boss guided in the guide groove moves the lever between a first position, wherein the boss is in a first section in the guide groove and the stopper is lowered to an engaged position, with an engageable part being engaged with the bottom plate; and a second position, wherein the boss is in a second section in the guide groove and the stopper is uplifted to a separated position with the engageable part being separated from the bottom plate. When the lever moves from the first position to the second position, the lever tilts by ascending and pivoting.

A sheet storage apparatus includes a storage apparatus body, a sheet stacking portion, a rear end regulation member, and a rear end regulation attachment. The sheet stacking portion has an opening opened in an upward and downward direction, and is movable upward and downward with respect to a bottom portion of the storage apparatus body. The rear end regulation attachment is detachably attached to the rear end regulation member, which regulates an upstream end position in the sheet feed direction of the sheet stacked on the sheet stacking portion. The rear end regulation attachment includes a regulating portion that extends toward the bottom portion through the opening. The rear end regulation attachment regulates the upstream end of the sheet on a position downstream, in the sheet feed direction, of a regulating position of the rear end regulation member.

A removable media tray with a two-axis media restraint system having a user-actuated rear media restraint operatively coupled to a side media restraint via a camming member. The rear media restraint includes a latching assembly for slidably latching with one of the indents along a track, each indent corresponding to a supported media length. The camming member having a predefined camming profile surface is coupled to and movable with the rear media restraint. As the rear media restraint moves along the track, camming member moves with the rear media restraint in the same direction engaging first and second cam follower portions of the side media restraint causing the side media restraint to move to contact a side edge of a media stack with the position of the side media restraint depending on a position of the first and second cam follower portions on the camming profile surface.

A sheet feeding device, which is included in an image forming apparatus, includes a sheet container to accommodate a recording medium, a sheet feeding body to press a surface of the recording medium in the sheet container and feed the recording medium in a sheet conveying direction, a pair of sheet position regulators to regulate a position of the recording medium in a sheet width direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction, and a load applier to contact the surface of the recording medium and apply a load to the recording medium at the surface. The recording medium is brought to move toward one of the pair of sheet position regulators while the recording medium is being fed. A lower face position in a standby state of the sheet feeding body is lower than a lower face position in a standby state of the load applier.

Sheet feeding device (1) comprising an elevator (2) for a stack of sheets, and an air supply system (3) configured to supply and direct one of more air streams towards an upper region (4) of the sheet feeding device (1) for floating a plurality of upper sheets of the stack of sheets, wherein the elevator (2) comprises a vertically movable support (5) for supporting the stack of sheets from below, wherein the sheet feeding device (1) comprises a first side support member (6) and a second side support member (7) configured to sideways support respective opposite sides of the stack of sheets, wherein the sheet feeding device (1) further comprises a vacuum belt feeder (8) provided above the elevator (2) and configured to grab and feed an uppermost sheet of the floated sheets away from the floated sheets, and wherein an upper portion of each side support member (6, 7) is provided with at least one respective cam (9) comprising a respective guide surface extending obliquely upwards-inwards from the respective side support member (6, 7).

A media restraint for a removable media tray and slidably operable without the use of a pinching force. The media restraint slidably positionable on a track in a removable media tray and is operable without pinching. A latching plunger in the media restraint is biased into engagement with a track provided in the removable media tray and is moved by a rack and pinion mechanism to a released position allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. The media restraint is operable by a finger of the user applying a downward force to the media restraint to release the plunger from the track and allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. Upon removal of the downward force, a biasing member reengages the plunger with the track.

A media-sheet stacking system (10) for stacking media sheets on a device output tray (OT) comprises a kicker (25) to advance a media sheet along the output tray by pushing a trailing edge of the media sheet as it exits the device, and a movable element (32a) arranged to face the output tray across a space that receives media sheets exiting the device. A drive mechanism (33) is provided to drive the movable element in the direction of advance of the media sheet along the output tray.

A sheet conveyer, having a sheet supporting plate, a feed roller, a lifting device to move the sheet supporting plate between a separated position and a contacting position, a motor, a sheet guide disposed on the sheet supporting plate to extend orthogonally to an axial direction of a rotation shaft of the feed roller to be movable in the axial direction on the sheet supporting plate, and a contact member disposed in an upper position with respect to the sheet guide, is provided. The sheet guide includes a retractable member movable between a first position, in which the retractable member is located when the sheet supporting plate is in the separated position, and a second position, in which the retractable member is placed by a reaction force from the contact member produced by contact between the sheet supporting plate and the feed roller.

A media restraint for a removable media tray and slidably operable without the use of a pinching force. The media restraint slidably positionable on a track in a removable media tray and is operable without pinching. A pair of latching cams are used to engage the media restraint to the track and have serrated portions pivotally mounted to a bottom of the media restraint. The media restraint is operable by a finger of the user applying a downward force to the media restraint allowing a rack and pinion to horizontally translate a rack portion of the pair of latching cams away from the track and pivot the serrated portions away from the track and allowing the media restraint to be moved along the track. Upon removal of the downward force, a biasing member translates the latching cams back to reengage with the track.